Конспект урока "The country we live in" 9 класс

Тема: The country we live in.

Цели и задачи: 1. развитие способности к анализу, обобщению; к сравнению и сопоставлению

речевых единиц, развитие познавательного интереса учащихся;

2. формирование потребности и способности к сотрудничеству и

взаимопомощи при работе в паре и группе;

3: воспитание чувства гордости за свою страну;

Stages

I. Introduction

Teacher: Dear boys and girls! I am very glad to see you at our lesson today because we have an

unusual lesson — a competition. There are two teams at the lesson: ……. team and ……… team.

They will show us their knowledge of the Russian Federation because our lesson is devoted to this

country. We’ll speak about the sights, the capital of the country some politicians and writers and

interesting facts. We’ll have several tasks at the lesson. Some of them were prepared by your

classmates. I hope our competition will be fun. I have lots of red and blue stars here. For a right

answer you will get a star. At the end of the competition you’ll count all the stars you’ve received.

The winner will be the team with the biggest number of the stars. Let’s start our lesson.

II. Warm-up activities

1. Do you know what the state coat of arms? (the two-headed eagle)

The first task is to collect the picture of the state coat of arms.

III. Interpretation and presentation

2. And now let’s listen the dialogue about the Russian Federation.

— What area does the Russian Federation occupy?

—It occupies the area of some 17,000,000 square kilometres.

— What oceans is the country washed by?

— The country is washed by the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.

— What countries does the state border on by sea and by land?

— Russia has a land border with China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the

south, Norway, Finland, the Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), Poland, Byelorussia and the

Ukraine ii the west. Russia has a sea-border with the USA and Japan.

— What is the most important river of Russia?

—The Volga is the longest and the most important river of Russia. It flows into the Caspian Sea.

Many rich and important industrial cities stand on the Volga.

— What resources is Russia rich in?

— Russia is rich in gas, oil, coal, non-ferrous metals such as aluminium, nickel and lead, in iron ores.

Russia is also rich in natural resources such as timber, fish and fresh water.

— What kind of state is Russia?

— Russia now is a parliamentary republic.

—What is the political structure of the country?

— There are three branches of power - the legislative branch, the executive branch and the juridical

branch.

—Are there many political parties in Russia?

—Yes, there are. We have many parties. That helps democracy. Everyone can find a party to his/her

taste or organise his own party.

— What are the national symbols of Russia?

— The flag has three equal stripes — white, blue and red. The state anthem is “The Anthem of

Russia” by Mikhalkov. The state coat of arms represents the two-headed eagle.

— How can you characterize the climate of our Motherland?

— The country lies in several different zones that’s why there are several types of climate, including

the monsoon climate of the Far East, the continental climate of Siberia and the subtropical climate of

the south.

— What are the main industries of Russia?

— Oil, gas and coal extracting industries are developing now. The food industry supplies the

population with food and drinks in abundance. The machine-building industry produces modern

machinery.

— What can you say about Russian culture?

— Russian culture is famous for its masterpieces. Nowadays composers, dancers and artists continue

the traditions of their ancestors.

-Is Russian school system different from that of the USA and Great Britain?

— Yes, it is different. The main differences are the age of entering the school, the national

curriculum, the number of years spent at school and the way of getting higher education.

3. And now choose the right answer.

1. The official name of our homeland is …

a) Russia b) the Russian Federation c) the Republic of the Russian Federation

2. There are……... republics and 68 other regions in the Russian Federation.

a) 21 b)12 c)17

3. The National Government of Russia consists of....

a) the President and the Prime Minister

b) the President and the Council of Ministers

c) the President, the Council of Ministers and the Federal Assembly

4. There are ………Houses in the Federal Assembly.

a) two b) three c)four

5. The lower House of the Federal Assembly is …………

a) the State Duma b) the Council of Ministers c) the Federal Council

6. The population of Russia is about

a) 148 000 000 b) 48000000 c) 548 000 000

7. The Head of the Republic of the Russian Federation is ………..

a) the President b) the Prime Minister c) the Speaker of the State Duma

8. The original name of the city founded on the Neva banks by Peter the Great was ……….

a) Petrograd b) St Petersburg c) Leningrad

9. The five ancient Russian towns which are known as Zolotoe Koitso (the Golden Ring) include

Rostov Veliky, Suzdal, Vladimir, Zvenigorod and ………….

a) Tver b) Smolensk c) Yaroslavl

10. Russia is a land of over ... nationalities.

a) 10 b) 100 c) 1000

4. What is the capital of the Russian Federation? (Moscow)

Did anybody visit Moscow?

But Kira was in Moscow more than 5 times, and we asked her to tell us something interesting.

Kira, what can you say about the Red Square?

The Red Square is the heart of Moscow. It was formed in the 15th century and named “the Red

Square” because of its beauty (at that time “red” meant “beautiful”). Since the 16th century it has

been used for parades and ceremonies. The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed was erected in the 16th

century and since then has been a jewel of Russian architecture. The monument to Minin and

Pozharsky was opened in 1818, right after the reconstruction of the Red Square after the Fire of 1812.

In the 19th century the building of the Historical Museum was constructed. During 1924—1930 the

Lenin’s Mausoleum was being built near the Kremlin wall. The Red Square is the point from which

all distances in Russia are measured. It is also the place for official ceremonies and parades. Also you

can see the Cathedrals of Assumption, of Annunciation, of Archangels, of Twelve Apostles. There are

Oruzheynaya Palata, the Granovitaya Palata and others.

The Kremlin and St Basil's Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian

architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country.

On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-

Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St.Basil's Cathedral was built in

the mid-16

century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There's a legend that Ivan the Terrible

blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn't want them to create another masterpiece.

5. Choose the names from sightseeings of Moscow the names which you can find in the Red

Square. (appendix 1)

1. The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed

2. The monument to Minin and Pozharsky

3. the Lenin’s Mausoleum

4. the Historical Museum

5. the Cathedral of Assumption

6. the Cathedral of Annunciation

7. the Cathedral of Archangels

8. Oruzheynaya Palata

9. the Granovitaya Palata

10. the Spasskaya Tower

11. the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great

12. the Tzar-Cannon

13. the Tzar-Bell

6. And now you see a puzzle, you are to answer the questions up to the end and guess the key-

word.

1. The president of Russia;

2. A largest river in Siberia;

3. One of the cities in Russia;

4. The highest peak

5. The name of our country;

6. The symbol of our country;

7. The world’s deepest lake;

8. A mountain chain;

9. A famous Russian artist;

10. A Russian composer.

7. You remember that many years ago St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia and that’s why

we are to know as much about this city as we can. Let’s check your knowledge about St.

Petersburg.

1. Peter the Great founded St Petersburg in 1703. How old was the city when it became Russia’s

capital?

a)9 b)19 c)29

2. The Bronze Horseman was created by

a) Montferrand b) Falconel c) Trezzini

3. The Winter Palace was built for Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. However, she

never lived there because…..

a) she didn’t like it b) she quarrelled with the arehitect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli

c) she had died by the time it was completed

4. The Hermitage has the largest collection of pictures in the world. How many buildings does it

occupy?

a)6 b)4 c)2

5. The tallest building in St Petersburg is

a) St Isaac’s Cathedral b) Peter and Paul’s Cathedral c) the Admiralty

6. How long did it take Auguste Moniferrand to build St Isaac’s Cathedral?

a) 4 years b) 24 years c) 40 years

7. Who is buried in Kazansky Cathedral (The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan)?

a) Kutuzov b) Suvorov c) Napoleon

8. This church was built on the spot where one of the Russian tsars was assassinated. A group of

revolutionaries threw a bomb under his carriage and the tsar was badly wounded, The name of the

tsar was

a) Alexander I b) Alexander II c) Alexander Ill

9. This palace had lots of levels, secret passages and rooms because its owner was afraid of plots.

Nothing helped, however, and he was murdered. His name was

a) Peter III b) Paul I c) Nicholas II

10. Like the Tretvakov Gallery in Moscow, the Russian Museum contains one of the finest

collections of Russian art in the world. This beautiful building was designed by

a) Rossi b) Rastrelli c) Voronikliin

8. And now let’s check your knowledge about the history of the Russian Federation.

Match these important dates with the events.

1147

1237

1613

1703

1812

1861

1917

1941

1980

1991

Yuri Dolgoruky founds Moscow

Khan Batyi of the Golden Horde conquers Moscow, the Tartar yoke which lasted until

the 16th century begins

Mikhail Romanov is elected Tsar of all Russia, the Romanov dynasty begins

Peter the Great founds St Petersburg on 16 May

Napoleon tries to conquer Russia

Alexander II writes the decree abolishing serfdom

the October Revolution takes place

the USSR enters World War II

Moscow hosts the XX Olympic Games

the USSR breaks up

9. Do you know who the president of the Russian Federation is? (Vladimir Putin)

But who was the Russian leaders during its history?

Match the names, dates and information about Russian leaders. (appendix 2)

Keys

Vladimir Lenin (1870—1924)

• Russian revolutionary

• Main leader and force behind the 1917 Revolution

• Founder of Leninism, a variation of Marxism

• First head of the Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin (1879 - 1953)

• One of the first editors of Pravda (the official Communist party newspaper)

• General Secretary of Communist Party after Lenin’s death

• Established the Soviet Union as a modern economic and military power that repelled Hitler’s

forces in World War II

• Notorious for ‘The Great Purge’ - a campaign of political persecution that executed millions of

his opponents (real or perceived)

• Established Soviet Union as one of the world’s two superpowers

Mikhail Gorbachev (1931— )

• introduced economic reforms known as perestroika (restructuring) and an era of openness

(glasnost)

• instrumental in ending the Cold War and, ultimately, Russian Communism

• Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990

Boris Yeltsin (1931 — 2007)

• Served as first President of Russian Federation (1991-1999)

• Banned Communist party

• Privatised former state enterprises in free-market economic reforms

• Invaded Chechnya, a republic seeking independence from Moscow

• Russians “remember the years when he was President in the 1990s as years of near-anarchy and

instability.”

Vladimir Putin (1952 - )

• Former KGB’ agent

• Economic achievements include the strongest prosperity Russia has ever known. Personal

income and pensions have risen 10 per cent each year; Russia has paid off all its debts in full.

Putin’s approval rating is 81%.

• Accused by critics of turning Russia into an oligarchy (a country ruled by an elite few) and of

filling his cabinet and government posts with former KGB colleagues.

• Accused of suppressing free speech and a critical media. Since his election, fourteen journalists

have died “in suspicious circumstances.” a Some Western critics question any possible link to

the murder of enemies, like ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in London last summer.

10. Make sure that you know the Russian national holidays and festivals, that’s why let’s

match the names of the holidays and the dates and their descriptions.

1 January

7 January

February/March

23 February

8 March

March/April

1 May

9 May

12 June

7 November

12 December

5) NewYear’s Day

2) Orthodox Christmas

4) Maslenitsa

11) Country Defendant’s Day

9) Women’s Day

8) Easter (Paskha)

10) Day of Spring and Labour

6) Victory Day

1) Russian Independence Day

7) Day of Reconciliation and Harmony

3) Constitution Day

Well, I see that you know a lot of information about Russia. And let’s count the result of our

competition.

The winner is…..

(you are equal)

Appendix 1

The Library of Natural Sciences

The Cathedral of Basil the Blessed

the State Tretyakov Gallery

The monument to Minin and Pozharsky

the Lenin’s Mausoleum

the Historical Museum

the Hermitage

the Moscow Underground

the Cathedral of Assumption

the Cathedral of Annunciation

the Cathedral of Archangels

Moscow State University

Oruzheynaya Palata

the Granovitaya Palata

the Sovremennik

the State Russian Museum

the Spasskaya Tower

the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great

the Mariinsky Theatre

the Tzar-Cannon

the Tzar-Bell

Appendix 2

Vladimir Lenin

(1870—1924)

Joseph Stalin

(1879 - 1953)

Mikhail Gorbachev

(1931— )

Vladimir Putin

(1952 - )

Boris Yeltsin

(1931 — 2007)